Chrysalis

So to the question; has public trust finally disappeared for the body politic? I suppose you could as validly ask the question has there ever really been a significant level of trust for politics among the public, and who really is to blame for this? Recent weeks has thrown these questions into sharp focus with our elected representatives and some state institutions showing a serious lack of judgement in their actions and public pronouncements.
It all began with the United Left Alliance who raised the issue of widespread corruption among the Gardaí specifically focussing on the ‘wiping’ of penalty points for senior figures in politics and influential people in society. There was uproar and indignation from the floor of the Dail in reaction. That is of course before we got the drip feed of information that many of our politicians had themselves availed of the goodwill of An Garda Siochana to have those pesky points erased from the records.
This was then made all the worse when Deputy Ming-Flanagan accuser in Chief was found to himself have squirmed through a loophole that exists in pre-civil war legislation that allows Oireachtas members to float the Road Traffic Laws if they are on official business. This Law was designed to allow free passage through checkpoints at a time of war, not to allow you exceed the speed limit en route to a Roscommon Council meeting, at least I assume so…
So Ming went on telly contrite and admitted that yes he was wrong to do it. Yes it was corrupt of him to ask to have the points wiped. But no, absolutely no should he resign because you see it was the Gardaí who were ‘MORE’ corrupt because they were the ones who did the evil wiping. Ah well I see his point, he was a bold boy but not bold boy in chief so he is ok, simple! We had a related incident in the UK recently where an MP had points he obtained while driving his wife’s car attached to her record, he was found out and he resigned. Is this a resigning issue for Ming I have to say yes and I do so simply because we need to start seeing accountability and leadership from our representatives. Only then we will start to trust them.
The issue rumbled on and hit a crescendo when the Minister for Justice (of all people) spoke out of turn on Prime Time during an exchange with Deputy Mick Wallace. He announced that Deputy Wallace was a hypocrite because he had been the recipient of Garda discretion on an occasion when he was using his phone while driving. No points or sanction were issued because the Garda at the time used his/her discretion and told the Deputy to put the phone down and carry on. In this case Deputy Wallace did not seek the removal of points as points had not been issued. Add to this the fact that Gardaí are expected to use discretion in their work and you have to ask what was the issue?
We the issue was the use of the information by the Minister as well as how the Minister had obtained this scandalous account of criminality. He heard it in a briefing this in itself is not odd, what is odd however is why the briefer felt it was important enough to divulge to the briefee. The more sinister issue for me in this episode is the then use of the information by Minister Shatter to intentionally embarrass and smear an opponent. He later apologised, or did he? What he did on the floor of the Dail was to say ‘If’ he had caused offence he was sorry. Ah that old chestnut a true Irish apology.
‘I am not sorry, but if you were hurt by my actions I am truly sorry you felt that way’…
So Minister Shatter had (ahem) apologised and that was that. Or was it? We were then treated to Deputy Mattie McGrath’s question as to whether the Minister in question had himself had a contra tent with the Gardaí at a mandatory checkpoint and had in fact, and possibly in a rude manner (the pup) refused to take a breathalyser test. Again Minister Shatter had to explain this time it was his asthma was the cause, valid enough but why hadn’t he shared this information in the public interest on Prime Time when he felt so strongly we as a people needed to know the deepest secrets of Mick Wallace’s criminal past. Minister Shatter now faces a no confidence motion tabled by Fianna Fail; will he loose no chance and life will go on.
You see we don’t generally do consequences in Ireland. We tend to reward cute whore ingenuity and favour the trick over the treat. In all this penalty points related shambles we have seen the standing, reputation and trust institutions of politics and the Gardaí diminished. Will any of this result in significant changes I doubt it.
So to conclude; no trust in politics and the state has not been ‘Shattered’, because it was already broken to begin with.